Comment by stephengillie | Hacker News Reader

Comment by stephengillie | Hacker News Reader

$1000 isn't a lot - in many parts of the US it will cover about 1 month of rent. Try to save more money from your day job, and work on your project at night and on weekends, whenever you can. At some point, you'll decide to launch, and it may possibly become a reliable income source.

May I leapfrog off your question: If your employment contract states "any software you write, on or off the clock, is property of the employer", how would one launch under that restriction?

That's a big if. In the entire state of California, any such contract clauses are invalid.

So if it says this in my contract it's invalid? How?

You can't enforce a contract clause that is illegal.

If your contract states that your employer can kill you if they so wish, it doesn't mean that they can; this would conflict with the law.

IIRC, The entire contract is not invalid, just the specific clause that says that.

The specific clause is:

    Except as provided in this chapter, every contract by which anyone is restrained from engaging in a lawful profession, trade, or business of any kind is to that extent void.

Most of the exceptions are regarding people who own and then sell the business, and a few others.

Which is to say that your employer would remain powerless, that's how.

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